Member Submission from Arizona
I just want to let you know I read this FAC newsletter today and I thought about how I sent a very pungent and emotional letter to about 10 Congress people in AZ.
In it, I also said that I had attached some less emotional and professionally stated oppositions points to one of the new bills they were trying to pass. I had those points from an AZRSOL email here in Arizona.
As I was thinking about writing you, the well of pain shot up from within me bursting me into tears.
The pain the registry and label fills my life experience with. The reality of why I am in AZ and left everything and everyone I loved in FL. Just because those laws were destroying my life and sanity and I had to go somewhere the laws were not so aggressive and destructive to my ability just to keep myself alive!
But of course, they are trying to make them more like FL laws too. Thank god things move super slow here, at least for that reason I am glad things are slow here! Lol.
Anyways,
I almost threw in the towel when they moved this new bill to request a re-vote on it after I sent all my letters to individual members of the congress. I was so upset I said F these politicians I want nothing to do with them.
I told the people of AZRSOL the same.
Then they said that the Speaker of the House had the final decision on whether it would go up for a vote or not.
I did not even want to bother anymore. But, reluctantly, I was like “ok, ok God I will send one more”.
I sent it to him.
I found out that this dude said the bill will not voted on. Honestly, I have no idea if that means he may change his mind tomorrow, whether he wants to amend it and make it even worse before voting on it, or if this dude even read my letter at all!!!.
But it restored enough hope for now, for me to think, that even if it’s just me, sending my own personal energy to make a difference, maybe, just maybe that energy can tip the scale in a better direction. It’s a foolish hope in America, I realize this. We seem to progress in reverse instead of forward. But at least I picked the towel back up!! (I may throw it down tomorrow, but that’s tomorrow!)
Thank you for your service!
Eddie M. ❤️🔥🔥
I would be interested in specifically what the proposed change was and what the current law is that would be changed
I may be of help. I have more familiarity with registries in different states since, as I work as a consultant all over the country, I perhaps have the record of being registered in the most states. There are certain states where one can be taken off the registry and, then, I believe as long as you move to another state you have not lived in before, you would not have to be on the registry again. There are certain states where you can move to where, even if you had to register for life, you only have to register for 15 years. The 15 years starts when you move there so you can move back 14 years later and you will be taken off the registry in that state after a year and then you are free to move to any other state and not be on the registry as long as you never lived in that state before.
You should never register in FL but you do want to register in MA, PA, NM as soon as you can. Get that clock ticking! Want off the registry sooner? If you were framed for your crime and you can prove it and you want to get off the registry after about 7 years from what I can tell your best shot is to move to a state beginning with a “C” and you have your best shot at getting removed.
I am not a lawyer and the comments above are for entertainment purposes only.
I get it. And I appreciate you for picking the towel back up. The thing is we never know who we are touching. Even if it gets the clerk in the office to think….hmm. We will never know. But the more that go Hmmmm, the better it will be down the road. So thank you.
Well, no doubt that those in politics use the fear factor on the unknowing public, to make those of us on the registry out to be the scum of the earth. We know that is not true, but, for the most part are powerless to change things. If for some reason, AZ does pass more restrictive regs, consider a move across back across the country. I don’t know what your charges were and it is none of my business. Here in PA I am registered on tier 2. My charges were nonviolent. In PA, there are no residency restrictions, very few other restrictions of any kind, and I need to report 2 times a year. All in all, some of the least restrictive policies in the country. You keep your nose clean and no one from law enforcement bugs you in any way.
I’m coming up on my 25th Anniversary as a registered sex offender here in Florida. I’ve never been convicted of a crime, never been to actual prison and have had zero violations while on probation or in my decades on the registry. I can relate very well to concerns and struggles with mental health, economic survival, family life and trying to feel like normal person that has a fighting chance at a decent life. Unfortunately, none of this will come easily for most of us. I’ve had to learn through bitter, bitter experience to try and focus only on things I have actual control over and try to ignore the rest. Frittering away precious time and energy on the many unfair circumstances and dead-ends that plague us in our life walk as registere citizens drains vital energies that have to be reserved for essential tasks at hand like earning money and addressing our own emotional well being. Being a registered sex offender is a marathon event like no other. Pace yourselves. The best advice I ever heard was to live “One Day At A Time”.
I’ve been successfully self employed now for over 19 years and my art hobby is finally yeilding positive results as well. Staying focused and productive wins the day!
Glad to see that you’re doing well. Keep moving forward on the road.